...Philip K. Dick once said that, "It is sometimes an appropriate response to reality to go insane" (brainyquote.com). This is a very controversial statement to make, since more often than not, madness is unquestionably inappropriate; for example, in Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray. Yet, Dick is right; under specific circumstances, insanity can be righteous, such as in William Shakespeare's Hamlet. In both The Picture of Dorian Gray and Hamlet, with influence, the titular characters descend into madness. However, the similarities in their stories end there. In The Picture of Dorian Gray, the nominal character is selfishly chaotic, thus, his madness can never be forgiven. Contrarily, Hamlet, in the play titled after him, becomes deranged...
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...In Shakespear´s "Hamlet", the character of Prince Hamlet pretends to be insane. For a person in his situation, having almost everyone thinking that you are crazy can be an advantage. The king, his father, had died, and just a few weeks after his tragic loss, a ghost appears to Hamlet. This ghost has the appearance of his father. The spirit tells Hamlet that he did not die peacefully, but instead his brother, Claudius, murdered him by pouring venom into his ear. Claudius usurped the throne and also married his brother´s wife, Gertrude. Hamlet swears to his father´s spirit that he is going to avenge his death, and he would commit this by acting insanity. There are actions in the play that would be almost impossible to achieve if Hamlet did not act like a mentally unstable person. The clues that we can find in this tragedy helps proving that Hamlet´s sanity is the motive behind his simulated madness. The first reason Hamlet has to make everyone think he had gone mad is to accomplish the freedom he gains because of this. Societies have taboos and social norms that people must follow to be accepted. However, there are some exceptions, like the mentally unstable or the insane, so Hamlet realizes that being crazy would...
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...and insanity. Both Hamlet and Ophelia display characteristics of madness however Hamlet’s madness is associated with the environment he is in while Ophelia’s madness is linked to her biological makeup of being a woman. On Shakespearean stage, the portrayals of female insanity were often the same. Ophelia would enter the stage in a white dress with flowers in her long and untamed hair while singing and playing a flute. When speaking, her lines were made up of “extravagant metaphors, lyrical free associations and ‘explosive sexual imagery’.” These common portrayals of Ophelia on the Elizabethan stage hold multiple connotations about femininity and sexuality. Ophelia frequently embodies a role of contrast within her self and other characters...
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...Kaplan English 12 P.4 28 March 2012 The Difference of Insanity: Hamlet against Ophelia In the Renaissance, madness was the theme of William Shakespeare's writings. He attended grammar school, but nothing further. So for his writings to be written with intelligence, it was greatly admired by many. Shakespeare’s career was in the time of Elizabeth I, 1558-1603 and James I, 1566-1625. His writings were not his own original work. It has been said that he took the story, Hamlet, from Saxo Grammaticus and changed the way Hamlet was portrayed from his story into a more “mad” version of Hamlet that waits to get revenge and is not truly mad from the start. It is also said that Shakespeare stole a majority of his stories from other writers during his time, making them more well-known and changing the moral of the story. In the Renaissance, people looked at insanity as if it were a crime. It was looked down upon. People did not understand that it was something that occurred within the mind, so they thought if they sprayed people with water it would shock them out of their insanity. The Renaissance culture also gave an intellectual rendition to three specific kinds of madness: folly, demonic possession and melancholia. In that time, thoughts of madness were confused by religious beliefs and sometimes even mistaken for nonsense. The dictionary defines madness as “extreme anger, excitement, or foolishness” and in Hamlet, Hamlet is characterized as insane because he fits the definition...
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...improve on. Thanks. Hamlet's Sanity and Insanity in William Shakespeare's The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark In the Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, by William Shakespeare, the sane Hamlet occasionally switches between the realms of sanity and insanity. When madness suits Hamlet's purpose, he puts on an "antic disposition" (I.V.173). On the other hand, when sanity proves worthy, Hamlet reverts back to being logical. Hamlet claims he is "mad north-north-west" (II.ii.376), meaning he is mad sometimes and sane other times. Therefore, to achieve his short-term goals, Hamlet shifts between sanity and insanity, which ironically, slows his overarching goal of revenge. To begin, Hamlet shifts into the realm of insanity to achieve his short-term goals. Hamlet uses his insanity as a weapon, changing insanity into the form of words or action. Furthermore, Hamlet is only insane towards his enemies or his enemy's allies. For example, Hamlet attacks Ophelia, who has allied herself with Claudius, with words: "are you honest" (III.i.104), "are you fair" (III.i.106). Hamlet "speak[s] daggers" (III.ii.387) to Gertrude, because she is an obstacle to Hamlet. Also, Hamlet slays Polonius so violently that Hamlet guarantees that Polonius is "dead, for a ducat, dead" (III.iv.25). Hamlet gravely harms both Ophelia and Gertrude with his words of insanity, while sending Polonius to the grave with his actions of insanity. All three people, Ophelia, Gertrude, and Polonius...
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...In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the protagonist, Hamlet, leads an antic disposition that causes his downfall and leads him to insanity. The cause of his insanity was quickly developed at the beginning when the sudden death of his father, King Hamlet, was announced to him. The tragic Hamlet plotted to murder his father’s murderer, thus the act of madness was introduced. His antic disposition affects his judgment, destroys relationships and creates a belief that he is truly mad. Throughout the play, Hamlet is consumed with anger of his father’s death which causes him to act through emotion and without reason, thus affecting his judgement. Hamlet’s main goal is to avenge the death of his father. His actions to do so are hindered because of the irrational decisions he has made through the antic disposition he has put on that has finally led to his misguided judgement. Hamlet’s irrational decisions began after the death of his father. As any normal human being would be allowed to grieve, Hamlet was not, he was expected to accept the death of his father and move on. “Do not for ever with thy vailed lids, Seek for thy noble father in the dust. Thou know'st 'tis common. All that lives must die, passing through nature to eternity.” (Act 1, Scene 2. 69-74) These lines spoken by the Queen, Hamlet’s mother, are proof that Hamlet is obliged to accept his father’s death. With little time to grieve and a mother that seems to care less about her deceased husband, Hamlet’s mind was given the...
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...Name Subject Professor Date Hamlet’s Insanity In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the theme of insanity is portrayed through Hamlet. Hamlet’s mental state mirrors the play’s ambiguity. Hamlet’s character elicits different hypotheses that include the following: First, Hamlet is sane throughout the play but opts to feign insanity. Secondly, Hamlet’s insanity was latent but fully developed after the play produced by the hero. Hamlet claims he will take on an “antic disposition” ( Bloom, 45). The first thing that indicates his insanity is his madness. His madness can be hypothesised as an indication of this disposition. His madness is further shown when it is stated that he was only mad after an interview with a ghost. This interview with a ghost is by all reasons, an indication of madness. Therefore, Hamlet is insane and its insinuation in the play is not a ploy. Secondly, the suicidal tendencies of Hamlet justify his insanity. When the play opens, Hamlet wishes that his, “flesh” would melt and, “dissolve” (Thiher, 39). Hamlet’s need for self-slaughter is brought out and portrayed throughout the play. Besides, the murder of his father and the betrayal of his mother make him be of the belief that the world is a very corrupt place: Of, that this too solid flesh would melt Thaw and resolve itself into a dew! Or that the Everlasting had not fix'd His canon 'gainst self-slaughter! O God! God How weary, stale, flat and unprofitable. (Shakespeare, 1.2.6-11) One of the factors that impair Hamlet’s...
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...madness whether it is feigned or not to be presented in literary works. William Shakespeare and Euripides depict this theme in their works Hamlet and Medea. Medea and Hamlet have experienced familial hardships; as a result they believe that the only way to obtain what they desire is through manipulation. Indeed both characters have become masters at the art of deceiving. In both works the theme of madness can be discussed as we cannot be certain that these personas are truly lunatics. Madness can be here considered as a tool to achieve ones end. Indeed Medea and Hamlet feign insanity in order to achieve revenge over their disloyal family. Medea and Hamlet have been betrayed by their family, the first through the murder of his father by his uncle and the marriage of his mother to the same man and the second by her husband who has agreed to marry somebody else. Both are left alone dealing with these events. As madness may be described as “mental incapacity caused by an unmentionable injury”, it is with no surprise that Hamlet or Medea would fall in the hands of insanity. However their actions and words prove the opposite. We can thus suppose that they are both feigning madness to achieve revenge. Medea thinks about the consequences before taking action “what state would take me in? What friend would offer me his land as refuge”. Hamlet weighs also his options as he does not know whether he should defend his father’s honor or not, “Now might I do it pat, now he is praying;...
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...Hamlet is thought to be one of William Shakespeare's most honored works and is a piece of art in its form that has been studied in depth by many scholars since its time. The storyline of Hamlet follows a vein of madness that begins with Claudius' murdering King Hamlet and ending with the tragic killing of almost every main character. Many reasons have been proposed for the ultimate tragedy, which occurs at the conclusion of the play. Indeed Hamlet is mad, but the other characters' madness also helped in contributing to his own. It is or is it not true that Hamlet was faking his insanity? Highly doubtful that Hamlet was faking the whole thing. The meaning for insanity on Dictionary.com is “a permanent disorder of the mind.” Hamlet didnt have a permanent disorder of the mind he knew what he was doing and even planned the majority of the events that happened. Most of the time anyway. Having your father die is bad enough, but to have your mother marry your uncle, within a few weeks of your father’s death? Then to see the ghost of your dead father. That would drive anyone a little insane, but maybe not to the extent that everyone thought Hamlet was acting. Hamlet is torn between acting sane and letting everyone else see him as insane. Throughout the story Hamlet pretends to be insane and even dies acting out this front of insanity. At first it seems as though Hamlet is just acting, but then it appears that he does truly indeed go insane. Even after he has gathered evidence against...
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...By definition, insanity is a condition in which a person either does not know what they are doing, or they do not understand what they are doing is wrong. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the main character, Prince Hamlet, displays erratic behavior; however, he is not insane. Hamlet describes what he is doing to multiple characters, showing that he understands what he is doing, only acts mad around certain characters, demonstrating that he has enough of a grasp on reality that he can act normal when he wishes, and his actions do not parallel the madness of another character, Ophelia, who is clearly genuinely insane. The idea of insanity lends itself to the lack of ability to articulate the logic behind one’s actions; however, Hamlet is fully capable of...
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...Annotated Bibliography for Hamlet Thesis: In Hamlet, Ophelia faces the constant struggle to find her identity, due to male superiority and lack of mother. If Ophelia were to live in today’s world, she would most likely suffer from depression, abuse, and eating disorders due to her lack of personal identity. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. New York: Dover Publications, 1992. Print. Hamlet, by William Shakespeare is the main text used for relations to Ophelia and her lack of personal identity. This play provides us with first-hand information on Ophelia’s downward spiral into insanity, which results in her own personal demise. This source is very appropriate, due to the fact that it is the first-hand insight into what Shakespeare portrayed Ophelia as, in her role in Hamlet. Therefore, it is believed that all information found in it, can be trusted and used accordingly, to relate Ophelia and her insanity due to contributing factors in her social environment. I found this source, in class, as it was our primary learning source in the discussions we had about Hamlet. This source is unlike my other sources, due to the fact that it is the base text for my work. From this source, I can learn how Ophelia slowly fell into madness, and what events helped lead up to her peak of insanity in the play. This helps develop my essay, because it is the main source that I will be using in relation to my other research sources. Considering that this is my base text, it is relatable to both my...
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...Men and Vengeance… and Women “ Hamlet is one of the most dangerous things ever set down on paper. All the big, unknowable questions like what it is to be a human being; the difference between sanity and insanity; the meaning of life and death; what’s real and not real. All these subjects can literally drive you mad.” Michael Sheen One of the most celebrated Shakespearean plays, Hamlet , follows the tragic downfall of a young Prince Hamlet as he plummets into depression and apparent insanity after the death of his father. Consequently, Hamlet’s uncle, Claudius, inherits the throne and marries the widowed Queen Gertrude. When Hamlet has the opportunity to converse with his dead father’s spirit, Hamlet learns that his father was murdered by his brother, Claudius; hearing this, Hamlet devotes himself to requiting retribution on his uncle. In many of Shakespeare’s plays, it is a common theme that the quest for revenge drives one to insanity. Not only does Hamlet follow this trend, it introduces that men in Hamlet are the ones to seek vengeance upon others while bringing women down along with them, supporting Shakespeare’s usual portrayal of women as scapegoats. In Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, it is generally the male characters that tend to take action and seek revenge upon others, due to the cultural sexism during Shakespeare’s time of writing. In many of his plays, Shakespeare usually has men in focus, most likely because of the ...
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...never doubt I love” (2.2.119). Hamlet proclaims his feelings for Ophelia, assuring her that he will always love her. Hamlet gives Ophelia the mindstate that she should trust the love she receives. Love heavily impacts and drives Ophelia’s actions throughout the play, The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare. Ophelia’s desires push her to be intimate with Hamlet and eventually drive her to madness resulting in her death. Ophelia’s loving and trusting nature compels her to obey her father. She trusts her father’s judgement, but also wants to trust Hamlet’s love for her. Ophelia has very strong feelings and has put a lot of trust in Hamlet so when her father asks “Do you believe his tenders” (1.3.45-112). Ophelia...
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...Unwilling Descent into Madness William Shakespeare’s Hamlet contains many instances when a problem of interpretation allows for different stances, but perhaps one of the most prominent questions is Hamlet’s descent into madness and to what degree he controls this madness or if it consumes him. This question is of great importance because it allows the reader to either justify or condemn Hamlet’s actions. In the 1990 Kevin Kline version of Hamlet, Hamlet’s interactions with others and his numerous soliloquies show that his madness is not an act; rather, he cracked under the extreme circumstances of his surroundings. Losing his father and seeing his mother marry his uncle within a few short months took an uncontrollable toll on Hamlet. His heightening emotions and increasing violence show that the film takes the stance that Hamlet cannot control his actions as he succumbs to insanity rather than someone in control of their action. Different versions of Hamlet take many stances on this issue from depicting Hamlet as a plotting mastermind to a man spiraling hopelessly out of control. This film is sympathetic to Hamlet’s plight as it shows his steady and unwilling descent into madness. The numerous violent incidences with his family and his dark soliloquies depict Hamlet as a man lost to his madness. By focusing on his relationships with others, the viewer can see that the interpretive stance does not place the blame on Hamlet but rather his circumstances. For example, Hamlet’s emotions...
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...personalities for his characters in Hamlet were, Ophelia’s legitimate madness is one trait that isn’t easily proven otherwise. Poor Ophelia is a young girl conditioned to the medieval dogma that her father is the ultimate authority in her life until marriage, while also heavily drawn to her sense of romance characteristic to the Renaissance. Also, Ophelia cannot express herself the way the men around her can, reserving her to a balloon of emotions, which, in addition to being left stranded after the men in her life essentially disappear, bursts into her ultimate insanity. Every person with influence in Ophelia’s life are men: Polonius, her father, Hamlet, her lover, and Laertes, her brother. These are the people who most of the time dictate her decisions for her. In the first scene of the play involving Ophelia, her lines are not many in number or lengthy by any means. This is because Polonius and Laertes spend the bulk of the scene instructing her. Both men discourage her from trusting Hamlet’s love. Laertes says, “His greatness weighed, his will is not his own. For he himself is subject to his birth.” (1.3.1718) Laertes is saying that Hamlet cannot be devoted to her because his focus has to be on Denmark as the heir to the throne. He also tells her to protect her virginity, which is a very authoritative statement and possibly an uncomfortable command to receive from your brother. Polonius in the same scene after Laertes leaves forbids Ophelia from seeing Hamlet again, telling her Hamlet may ...
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